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Effect of Digital Prescription Education on Understanding of Electronic Prescriptions among Adult Patients in Nigeria

Abstract

Electronic prescriptions are increasingly becoming an important component of digital healthcare because they can facilitate the electronic transmission of medication instructions, reduce prescription-related errors, improve communication between healthcare providers and pharmacies, and support continuity of care. However, adult patients may experience difficulties understanding electronic prescriptions because of limited digital literacy, unfamiliarity with electronic prescription platforms, difficulty interpreting medication instructions, language barriers, limited access to digital devices or internet services, and concerns about prescription authenticity and privacy. Digital prescription education provides an opportunity to improve patients' understanding of electronic prescriptions and promote appropriate use of digitally prescribed medicines. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of digital prescription education on understanding of electronic prescriptions among adult patients in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Technology Acceptance Model, Health Belief Model, and Health Literacy Theory. The Technology Acceptance Model explains how perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of electronic prescription systems may influence patients' willingness and ability to engage with digital prescriptions. The Health Belief Model explains how patients' perceptions of the benefits of correctly understanding prescriptions, perceived barriers, cues to action, and perceived health consequences of medication errors may influence their prescription-related behaviours. Health Literacy Theory emphasizes patients' ability to obtain, understand, evaluate, and use health information appropriately to make informed decisions about their medicines. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how digital prescription education may influence understanding of electronic prescriptions among adult patients in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise adult patients aged 18 years and above attending selected public and private hospitals, primary healthcare centres, clinics, and other healthcare facilities across Nigeria where electronic prescription systems are available. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, healthcare facilities, departments, clinics, and eligible patients. Digital prescription education will be assessed using indicators such as exposure to electronic prescription education sessions, frequency and duration of education, knowledge of electronic prescription systems, understanding of digital prescription components, ability to identify prescribed medicines, knowledge of dosage and frequency instructions, understanding of medication duration, awareness of prescription refill information, knowledge of how electronic prescriptions are transmitted to pharmacies, awareness of prescription verification procedures, understanding of privacy and security measures, and knowledge of appropriate actions when prescription information is unclear. Understanding of electronic prescriptions will be assessed using indicators such as correct interpretation of medicine names, dosage instructions, frequency, duration, route of administration, refill instructions, special medication warnings, prescription status, and ability to identify discrepancies or seek clarification from healthcare professionals. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, electronic prescription understanding assessment tools, health-literacy instruments, scenario-based questions, and pre-test and post-test assessments where a quasi-experimental intervention is adopted. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize patients' demographic characteristics, educational and digital-literacy profiles, healthcare utilization patterns, previous exposure to electronic prescriptions, and understanding of digital prescription information. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of digital prescription education on understanding of electronic prescriptions. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, understanding scores before and after the educational intervention may be compared with those of a comparison group to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that digital prescription education has a significant positive effect on understanding of electronic prescriptions among adult patients in Nigeria. Patients exposed to structured and practical digital prescription education are expected to demonstrate improved ability to interpret medication instructions and engage appropriately with electronic prescriptions compared with patients without comparable exposure. Education may improve patients' understanding of medication names, dosage, frequency, duration, refill instructions, and other important prescription information. It may also improve patients' ability to identify unclear or potentially incorrect information and seek clarification from appropriate healthcare professionals before using their medicines. Practical demonstrations using realistic electronic prescription examples may further strengthen patients' confidence in navigating digital prescription platforms. However, low digital literacy, limited access to smartphones or internet services, language and literacy barriers, unfamiliarity with electronic systems, concerns about privacy, and variations in the design of electronic prescription platforms may reduce the effectiveness of education alone. The study therefore expects accessible, practical, patient-centred, and culturally appropriate digital prescription education, supported by user-friendly electronic prescription systems and adequate healthcare-provider guidance, to contribute significantly to improved understanding of electronic prescriptions among adult patients in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on digital health, electronic prescriptions, health literacy, medication safety, patient education, digital health literacy, healthcare utilization, pharmaceutical care, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, hospitals, primary healthcare centres, pharmacies, pharmacists, physicians, nurses, health-information technology professionals, digital health providers, public health practitioners, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving patients' understanding of electronic prescriptions. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating digital prescription education into patient-care programmes, strengthening patient counselling, improving the user-friendliness of electronic prescription systems, providing clear medication instructions, promoting digital health literacy, strengthening prescription verification and privacy measures, and developing sustainable patient education programmes to support safe use of electronic prescriptions across Nigeria.

Keywords: Digital prescription education, electronic prescriptions, prescription understanding, adult patients, digital health, health literacy, medication safety, patient education, electronic prescribing, Nigeria, public health.